The organization behind the planned Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience (LMHE) is developing a Black Masking Indian documentary, Behind The Mask, on Thursday, October 16 at Loyola’s Roussel Hall.

Behind the Mask is a two-hour production of The Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience, Inc. and Loyola’s School of Music which tells the history of Black Masking Indian culture. It will be curated by board member Big Chief Juan Pardo, will be told by five prominent Big Chiefs, involves music and traditional dress, tribe members, and will be made into a documentary.  The last full-scale documentary on the Indians was Aaron Walker’s critically-acclaimed Bury The Hatchet, which was released in 2020.

Black Masking Indian (“Mardi Gras Indian”) culture has existed for well over 100 years in New Orleans and is at the root of musical culture in the city. It’s a living, breathing marriage between many cultures that came long before European discovery. The present day tribal existence is deeper and is still evolving.

The production will be filmed along with extensive interviews with the assistance of students from Loyola University’s College of Music and Media. LMHE will also include a “Masking Indian Village” at the upcoming NOLA Funk Fest on October 17-18 at Spanish Plaza. Funk Fest goers will have the opportunity to have one-on-one experiences with tribe members to learn more about the culture. Programming at the Village will be filmed along with Mardi Gras Day events, and all the gathered assets will be used to create the Behind The Mask documentary. This documentary will be distributed free world-wide. And portions of it will be used in the eventual museum.